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The Defense Ministry has agreed to host football league matches in the Armed Forces’ stadiums as of Sunday.

Azmi Megahed, director of the Egyptian Football Federation’s Media Center, told the German news agency DPA about the ministry's decision on Thursday.

The ministry had initially declined the federation’s request to host the matches.

The league stopped all activities in February following violence that broke out during a match between Al-Ahly and Al-Masry in Port Said Stadium, where 74 Al-Ahly fans were killed.

Seventy defendants are on trial in the Port Said Stadium case. A court is due to issue a verdict on 26 January.

The league’s activities have been halted several times since the clashes. The Interior Ministry initially said it could not secure the matches, and Al-Ahly fans objected to the resumption of play before justice was attained for those were killed in the incident.